Wheeled figure toy



y 9 1 L. w. S LY ETAL 2,747,327

WHEELED FIGURE TOY 7 Filed Jan 28, 195:5

35 3 INVENTORS LESLIE/(451.3, H/ALTER P. 005

\ andgERMAA/ G. FISHER 31 0 \2 I 22 ATTORNEYS.

upon the crank pins 20-20.

United States Patent WHEELED FIGURE TOY Leslie W. Sly, Walter P. Doe, and Herman G. Fisher, East Aurora, N. Y., assignors to Fisher-Price Toys, Inc., East Aurora, N. Y.

Application January 28, 1953, Serial No. 333,708

1 Claim. (Cl. 46-105) This invention relates to action toys, of the type sometimes referred to as trundle toys or pull toys, inasmuch A primary object of the present invention is to provide in an animal simulating type toy and improved limb and foot actuation.

Another object is to provide the aforesaid stated object in a toy of simplified construction which is adapted .to be economically manufactured by simple large scale production techniques.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the specification hereinafter.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a toy embodying .a leg and foot construction of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary section, taken along line Il-II of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary side elevational view similar to Fig. 1, but of a modified form of construction; and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary section, taken along line IVIV of Fig. 3.

The invention is illustrated in Figs. 1-2 of the draw- :ing as being embodied in a toy having a body form simulating that of a baby duck; the toy comprising generally .a body portion surmounted by a head portion 12.

Whereas, in the drawing the head and body parts of the toy construction are illustrated as being jig-sawed from wood stock, it will of course be appreciated that the toy parts may be made from any other desired material.

The toy is arranged to be drawn along a floor or pavement surface or the like, as by means of a pull string as indicated at 14 (Fig. 1); but it will be understood that in lieu thereof the toy may be arranged to be pushed by means of a suitable push rod, or coupled to a toy wagon In any case the the body 10. As shown in the drawing, the rollers '16l6 may be readily fabricated in the form of wood turnings centrally drilled for press fitting upon the opposite ends of the axle 18 after the latter has been slipfitted into the drilled opening through the bottom portion of the body 10. Thus, the toy is mounted upon the rollers 16-16 for rolling movement across a floor or pavement or the like.

The rollers 16-16 are also each drilled at positions ecthe foot plates whereby the latter are arranged to rock As indicated at 24 the pins 2,747,327 Patented" May 29, 1956 'ice As shown in the drawing, the foot plates 22 may be readily fabricated of flat wood stock or the like, but it will of course be appreciated that they might also be formed of plastic or metal or any other desired material, as may be preferred.

To control the movements of the foot plates and to at the same time simulate the leg portions of the animal, we provide for each foot plate a leg element designated 25 in the drawing, at each side of the toy. As shown in Fig. 1, the leg elements 25 are formed in side elevation of dog-leg form to simulate the leg elements of the animal, and are pivotally attached to the body portion 10 adjacent their upper ends as by means of a pivot pin 26 driven into the body portion 10, as by a, suitable nailing operation. Spacer washers as indicated at 28 are preferably employed in conjunction with the pivot pins 26 to hold the legs 25 clear of the body 10 to insure free movement of the leg operation, as will be explained hereinafter. At their lower ends the legs 25-25 are piv t lly co c e o r a end ofthe corresp n i g foot plates 2222; such pivotal connections being readily provided for in the case of the present invention by pins 29. Figs. 3-4 shows a modified form of foot plate construction wherein the foot plates 22 are molded of some suitable plastic material. The rear ends of the foot plates 22 are molded or punched to provide cutaway portions as indicated at 3031 (Figs. 34) thereby providing a cross bar portion 32 adapted to be gripped within the C-shaped jaw end portion 33 of the leg which is designated 35.

As shown in Fig. 3, the opening between the jaws of the end portion 33 of the leg 35 is so dimensioned as to slidably receive the bar portion 32 of the foot element when the leg is rotated in counterclockwise direction away from the position thereof shown in Fig. 3 into a horizontal attitude. Thus, the leg may be readily assembled upon the cross bar portion 32 and then rotated in clockwise direction as to the position thereof shown in Fig. 3, whereupon the upper end of the leg may be pivotally atached to the body as by means of a pin as indicated at 26 in Fig. 1, thereby causing the C-shaped end portion of the leg to be locked on the foot element 22 while being pivotally interconnected therewith.

It is a particular feature of the present invention that by means of the extremely simple yet rugged toy construction as illustrated and described hereinabove, a particularly elfective foot and limb movement simulating action is obtained. Rotation of the rollers 1616, as when the toy is pulled along a floor or pavement from the position shown in Fig. 1, causes the foot plate 22 to be first retracted rearwardly relative to the body 10 as the latter moves forwardly. While the parts are in position as shown in Fig. 1, the leg device stabilizes the foot plate on its fulcrum pin 24 so as to assume the substantially horizontal attitude as shown, but as the body It moves forwardly and the wheel rotates the pin 24 rises (following a sinusoidal path of movement in space) thereby causing the front end of the foot plate 22 to rise while the rear end thereof is held down by the leg 25. Thus, when the fulcrum pin 24 reaches the position thereof shown by broken lines in Fig. 1, the foot plate 22 has assumed the upwardly tilted attitude thereof shown by broken lines in the same figure.

Then, as the toy forward motion continues the fulcrum pin 24 moves forwardly and down relative to the body thereby drawing the front end of the foot element forward and down again toward the solid line position thereof shown in Fig. 1. Thus, it will be appreciated that as the toy is pushed or pulled across a floor or the like, each foot element is first given a retreating and then upward tilting and lifting movement, and then a forward and downwardly tilting and lowering movement until such time as the foot element appears to slap down flatwise on the pavement; whereby a particularly realistic animal leg and foot motion simulating effect is obtained. As shown in Fig. 2, the foot plate elements 2222 at opposite sides of the toy body are preferably arranged for alternately lifting and lowering operations by spacing the fulcrum pins 20-20 at 180 relatively spaced relation on the rollers l616. Hence, when one foot element is in process of being raised, the other foot element is in process of being lowered.

As stated before, it is a feature of this invention that the above described unique and particularly eifective animal action simulating operation is obtained through use of only a small number of parts which are easily and simply fabricated from any preferred material stock and easily and quickly assembled by only a few easy pin slip-fitting and nailing operations. Thus, the toy of the invention lends itself admirably to large scale production operations on an economical basis, while at the same time providing a toy which is unusually rugged and simple in its construction, yet unique and pleasing in its operational effects when pushed or pulled along a pavement or the like.

It will of course be appreciated that although only one form of the invention has been shown and described in detail, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention is not so limited but that various changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

An action toy comprising in combination, an animal body simulating portion, wheel means mounting said body portion for rolling movement along a pavement or the like, an animal foot simulating member fulcrumed intermediately of its ends to said wheel means at a position thereon offset from the center of rotation thereof, said foot member having a transverse bar portion spaced lengthwise of said foot member from the fulcrum connection between said foot member and said wheel means, an animal leg simulating member comprising a link device pivotally connected at its upper end to said body portion at a position above and behind the center of rotation of said wheel means and having a C-shaped lower end portion slip-fitted into encirclement with said foot member bar portion.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,345,140 Curry June 29, 1920 2,381,537 Grusenmeyer Aug. 7, 1945 2,410,646 Finn et a1. Nov. 5, 1946 2,588,040 Perez Mar. 4, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 271,399 Switzerland Jan. 16, 1951 

